Caged Bird
by Writer Of Worlds
Summary: While Falco was training, he was kidnapped by unknown people and was tortured and beaten as a way to get to Link. While living in captivity, Falco was getting closer to breaking...will Link save him? What do these people want with him? Why are they after Link? Bondage, torture, language, whump, Link x Falco friendship? Shounen-ai a possibility.
1. Chapter 1

**WARNING: This is a whump fanfic with Falco as the victim, so there will be bondage, torture, and blood. Read at your own risk…**

* * *

**Caged Bird**

**Chapter 1**

It was morning at the Smash Castle. The sun soaked the trees and the castle with its bright sunrays, and the small animals that were in the forest near the castle had just woken up to get ready to find their meals. All of the other Smashers were sleeping…except for me.

I was training in the training grounds, kicking, spinning, and shooting targets. I was usually the first one to wake up (early bird gets the worm, they said), and since I lost that fight against Link in the last Smash Tournament, I had to practice so I can beat him.

Link and I were good friends after the Melee Tournament finished. Besides McCloud, he was the first person to talk to me when I first entered the Smash Castle. Of course, I was dismissive of him, but when we were forced to fight together against Marth and Roy, we both realized that we make a deadly combo. When we won the tournament, I started to get to know him better. He seemed to be from the medieval times, with swords in place of Blasters, paper letters in place of e-mails, and other sorts of crap. He also seemed to be friendly…a bit TOO friendly for my tastes, so I decided to watch him so he won't be a gullible klutz. He also didn't mind me just throwing insults at his face, even when I wasn't joking; he usually either gave me a good comeback or he just shrugged it off like it was nothing. When we were in the battlefield, though, neither of us held back, so you could refer to us as friendly rivals at that. I liked the guy, even though I couldn't admit that to McCloud or anyone else.

While I was training, I heard a strange _whoosh _from the bushes. I quickly turned to search for the source of the sound, but I saw nothing. Keeping my guard up, I growled, "Who's there?"

There was no answer. Gazing my surroundings again, I just shrugged. _Probably just some wind…_ I thought. I then went back to training.

I didn't notice someone behind me until I was grabbed and lifted up.

"HEY!" I cried in surprise, struggling against someone's grip, "Let GO!"

No matter how much I struggled, I couldn't get free. This person seemed to be taller than me, since he lifted me up so I couldn't touch the ground with my toes. He also appeared to be stronger than me, since he didn't even move an inch when I squirmed against his grip.

I kicked him in the nuts and he cried out in pain, thus loosening his grip on me. I quickly turned to face him, but before I could even see what his face looked like, someone else grabbed me from behind. That's when I realized that I was outnumbered two to one.

Before I could even kick for freedom, a wet cloth suddenly covered my whole beak. I started to struggle harder, kicking my legs with panic, but the person who I kicked in the nuts had grabbed my legs and held them still.

"MMPH!" I cried, realizing that there was no way I can escape. I then began to feel sleepy.

_Ch-chloroform…? _I thought, and I slowly closed my eyes, and then there were darkness…


	2. Chapter 2

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

I slowly opened my eyes groggily as my alarm went off. Turning to my side, I extended an arm to turn it off.

_I hate mornings… _I thought as I reluctantly got up from my bed. I grabbed my green tunic and put it on, and then I proceeded to slip on my boots. I then grabbed my green hat and put it on my head.

_At least having a nice talk with Falco would cheer me up… _I thought as I went out the door.

Falco was a great friend to me. Of course, he can be a smart-mouth to me (especially when he insulted me), but that doesn't stop us to stay as friends. He doesn't know much about swordplay, but he taught me how to use guns and other technology that never existed in my world. The technology from his world was pretty interesting: computers that can somehow connect to other computers without a wire, flying ships that run with fuel… I also had beaten Falco in the last Tournament, which he was upset over (I can tell, but he couldn't admit that he was down because of it), and he usually woke up before anyone else to train. I felt bad that he had to work so hard just to get back at me in the next Smash Tournament.

After brushing my teeth and combing my hair, I went down the stairs to the Smash Cafeteria to get breakfast. I sat at the table with Fox, and I realized that something was amiss.

"Hey, Link," Fox said once I sat with him, "had you seen Falco?"

I stared at him. "No," I answered, "I hadn't seen him since I woke up." I sipped my coffee. This was odd. He was never late for breakfast after his morning training.

"I figured he might be sleeping in," Fox stated, "but I looked for him in the training grounds, and I realized that he wasn't there either!"

I nearly choked on my coffee when Fox said this. Falco wasn't in the training grounds either? Something was definitely wrong here.

"Do you think he went somewhere?" I asked. I didn't realize that I sounded demanding when I asked this, as Fox told me, "Calm down. And I don't know; they're not letting anyone go anywhere."

I slammed my fist on the table, attracting a few stares from the other Smashers. "This is unusual of Falco. He never disappeared like that without telling anyone where he's going!"

"I know," Fox sighed, "do you think…?"

I shook my head. "No, he's tough enough to fend for himself," I said, "He wouldn't let anyone take him down without a fight."

"That's true…" Fox then thought about the possibilities. "Then I don't know…"

I got up from my chair and said, "Let's start a search party. I'm sure that he's around here somewhere."

Fox agreed. When breakfast was over, we went to get the other Smashers to help us.

* * *

I woke up with a start when I felt that someone was kicking me in the stomach. As I slowly woke up, all I saw was a thick line of darkness with only light from the very top and bottom of the line.

I realized that I was blindfolded.

I tried to move my hands to get the blindfold off, but then I realized that I couldn't move them. Rope bound my wrists together behind my back as the rope chewed through my feathers into my skin. It seemed that I was bound hours ago.

"Wakey wakey, birdy." A deep, demonic voice said. When I stood still, I was kicked in the stomach again.

"Who the HELL are ya?!" I growled. My captor then backhanded me in the face. "HEY! What was that for?!"

"Shut it, birdy." The voice whispered, "Or do you want me to gag you?"

"I'm not shutting up till ya tell me where I am!"

The voice only giggled, which was odd for a demonic voice. "There's a reason why you're blindfolded, little birdy." He then proceeded to rub my cheek.

"Get those dirty hands off me!" I growled, struggling against my bonds.

"Oh oh oh, you're just asking to get gagged…" He whispered. When I opened my mouth to make another insult at my captor, I felt a thick cloth shoved in my mouth and then tied behind my head.

"MMPH! Ymmn cwwrmmnd!" I cried as I continued to struggle against my bonds.

"It's your fault that you were gagged, birdy…" The voice said. I then felt cold lips kissing me.

"Mmmph?!" I cried in surprise. I then shook my head to get my captor away from my face. I was rewarded with another backhand across my face.

"Hold still." He growled in a low, icy voice. I disobeyed him, and I struggled. I was given a swift, hard kick in my ribs. I could've sworn I felt a rib break when this happened.

"Be nice to your captor, or else I'll inflict more pain on you…"

I stopped struggling when he said this. I couldn't admit this, but I was a little frightened when he said those words.

He then kissed me on the cheek. "There. That wasn't so bad, huh?" The captor whispered. I produced a low growl.

"Awww. You're so cute when you're mad." He giggled, "Now be a good boy, and don't try to escape…we have big plans for you and your little elf friend…"

I then heard a clank sound, and I heard footsteps being less audible.

I was alone…for now at least.

I gave up trying to get free as I stayed still, wondering what they will do to me. Those words echoed in my head as I tried to figure out what was going on.

_Big plans for me…and my "little elf friend"? _I then realized who my captor wanted.

_Link…_


	3. Chapter 3

**WARNING: BLOOD AND TORTURE IN THIS CHAPTER!**

After struggling against the ropes for a while, I ended up falling asleep due to fatigue. It seemed like hours had passed after that, and I was suddenly woken up when I was kicked in the ribs.

"Get up, bird!" A deeper, menacing voice cried. My eyes opened and I still saw the thick line around my eyes. I was still blindfolded. I let out a grunt, which to my dismay, I was still gagged, and my mouth was drying up from it.

I looked up, still unable to see. My captor then grabbed me by the feathers on my head and stood me up, and I cried out through my gag in pain.

"It's time." He whispered. He then started to drag me on the floor by the feathers and I cried out in pain, trying to hold back tears. There's no WAY am I letting these fools see that I'm weak! I began to struggle against the ropes, and I felt warm liquid dripping down from my wrists. I was beginning to bleed from my bound wrists after being tied up for so long. My captor then backhanded me, much harder than the previous person. "You quit struggling." He growled as I can feel his breath near my face. I only snarled.

I was then dragged to an unknown location, and I was set down on a chair. "Now…" Another devilish voice said, which I soon realized that there were two people who kidnapped me, "once I take off that gag, promise not to warn your friend once we start recording?" Recording? What was he talking about?

I then felt my gag being removed, and I gasped for breath. "You…ya won't get away with this, bastards!" I croaked, my voice sounding hoarse. I was rewarded with another backhand across the face. "Shut your mouth, birdy." He growled. He then ordered the other, "Remove the blindfold."

My blindfold was taken off of my eyes, and all I saw were gray blurs. After blinking my eyes for a bit, I looked around. It seemed that I was being held in an underground, rocky location. I then looked to see who my captors were. I gasped in shock when I recognized them: Ganondorf and Ghirahim.

"You two?!" I cried in shock. Ghirahim just smiled. "Surprised?" He said softly.

I began to struggle against my bonds more violently. "So! Ya gonna use me as bait for that idiot of mine, right?" I growled. Ghirahim just giggled.

"You're a smart birdy, aren't you?"

"Let me go, now!" Ghirahim just rolled his eyes. "Why would we do that? The fun had barely begun!" I saw him get behind a video camera, as Ganondorf went to grab a baseball bat. What were they going to do?

"Now once the recording starts, you better have a smile on for your little friend!" Ghirahim giggled. "And…ACTION!"

* * *

"Link, take a break!" Marth cried as he, Roy, and Fox followed me to one of the Smash Halls, "We've searched everywhere! He's not around the Castle at all!"

I sighed. We were searching for Falco, and there was no trace of him at all. However, I was determined to find my friend, so I continued to search.

"Yes," Roy said, "we've been searching for hours. Can you give it a rest?"

"NOT UNTIL I FIND HIM!" I screamed. Roy stepped back when I screamed, eyes wide. I realized what I have done, and I apologized quickly. "I'm sorry…but he couldn't just disappear like that!"

"I know, but…"

"Roy, this is out of character of Falco to just disappear into thin air. He HAS to be somewhere in the Castle."

Roy sighed. I overheard Fox whispered to him, "Let him continue to search. You know how determined he is."

"Damn right." I muttered loud enough for them to hear.

We then saw Zelda and Samus approaching us. "Samus, Zelda! Did you find any evidence?"

Samus nodded. "We searched in the training grounds, and I found his Blaster on the ground." She gave me the Blaster, and I looked over it. Now this is even odder. Falco never goes anywhere without his trusty Blaster.

"Something's not right here…" I muttered. I then put it in my pocket and went off. "Link," Zelda said, "take a break. It's almost lunchtime."

"I can't, Zelda." I called, "I can't…" I then went off, leaving my friends alone.

* * *

While I was searching in the Battle Preparations room, I heard a squeaky voice behind me. "Big Link! Big Link!"

I turned to see my younger self approaching me. "Not now, Young Link," I said, "I'm still searching."

"But this is important!" Those words made me perk up. I looked at Young Link, and he seemed to be holding a video tape.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He offered me the tape. "Someone in a cloak gave me this and said to give it to you." I grabbed the tape and I stared at it. The tape was labelled as "To Link." What it said at the bottom got me alert: "From Falco."

I ran to tell my friends, who were getting ready to go to the Cafeteria. "A tape from Falco?" Fox asked, confused. "Yes; see for yourself." I said, showing him the tape. Fox looked at it and his eyes were wide.

"Let's watch it," He said, and he went off to the Smash Living Room with Marth, Roy, and Young Link.

I placed the tape in the VCR, and the tape began. The first thing we saw, to our horror, was Falco being beaten with a baseball bat. Blood was everywhere as the bat hit Falco and he screamed in pain. We heard cursing in the background. The avian's feathers were plucked out from his skin, and blood began to drip down from the locations where the feathers were plucked out. This sight was so horrifying to us that Roy had to get Young Link out of the room. Poor Falco was trying to stay strong…but we all know that he was terrified from his ordeal, as we can see the tears falling down from his face and his sobs were heard as he was beaten.

The camera then panned up to the captor, who was a shadow. "We have your little bird friend," he said in a menacing voice as we continue to hear Falco's painful screams, "if you want to save him, you better come to us in the forest near the Smash Castle…ALONE, Link!" My eyes were wide when he said my name. "We're hiding underground, and if you don't come…"

He snapped his fingers, and we heard a sickening _thud _and Falco was screaming. "We'll inflict more pain on your little bird…to the point that he'll be a tasty meal…"

"LINK!" We heard Falco cry in the background, "Don't come here! It's a—" We then heard another _thud_, and Falco screamed again.

The video had ended, and we all stood there, horrified of what we saw. "THOSE BASTARDS!" I cried as I was about to run out of the room when Fox grabbed me. "Link, calm down!"

"I can't!" I cried, "Those bastards are torturing him! They'll kill him!"

"Link," Marth said, "didn't you hear what Falco tried to say? It's all a trap."

I managed to escape from Fox's grip. "I don't care. Falco's life is on the line. I can't let them harm him anymore."

I ran off to grab my sword and shield as Marth and Fox tried to stop me. "Don't you understand?!" Fox said, "They're using Falco as bait for you! They'll kill you!"

I turned to look at Fox in the eyes, and I spoke, "As long as Falco is OK, I don't care if I die."

I then ran outside to the forest, ignoring their protests.

* * *

I was thrown into a cell, and Ghirahim punched me in the stomach. "How DARE you try to warn him!" He growled.

Ganondorf then kicked me in the ribs, and I heard a loud _crack! _Another of my ribs was broken. I tried to hide my fear, but after more punches and kicks on my whole body, I couldn't handle it. I let out a heart-wrenching sob as they kicked me to the ground and they laughed.

"Heh, not as cocky and tough as you are, huh?" Ganondorf mocked as he kicked me in the face. I felt blood dripping down from all the places where they beaten me with the bat, and I let out a whimper. I couldn't be strong…I was at the mercy of these bastards…I felt so helpless and weak.

"Now GET UP!" Ganondorf growled and I was kicked in the stomach. I slowly sat up, but I wasn't fast enough for them as he kicked me in the ribs.

"Too slow!" He said. I groaned, and I tried to hold back any more tears, but it was no use.

"Shut him up, Ghirahim." Ganondorf ordered.

Ghirahim grabbed some rope and he tied my beak shut. I didn't resist; I was too weak. I was then blindfolded again.

"Now all we have to do is wait, so you better be comfortable, bird." I heard Ganondorf said, and I heard the cell door being closed.

My body rocked and shook from my sobs as thoughts began to fly in my head. I was never at the mercy of my enemies, and it made me so weak being held captive by them. I wondered if Link and anyone else who saw the video think that I'm weak…it was so humiliating that I was beaten down while I couldn't do anything to stop it. I wasn't the best fighter like I always think…I was just a sapless, arrogant bird who thinks he's better than anyone else. I was foolish…and broken.

_Link…Fox…everyone…I'm so sorry for not being the best there is…_


	4. Chapter 4

I searched top to bottom in the forest, looking for the location where Falco was being held. When half an hour passed, I couldn't find the "secret area" where those captors were holding him.

In frustration, I stomped my foot on the ground, and suddenly, a trap door on the forest floor opened underneath my feet, and I fell in. After tumbling down, I looked at my surroundings. The walls were rocky, and the ground was hard as stone. That's when I recognized the area as what I saw in the video.

"Falco should be in here somewhere…" I muttered. Remembering that Marth and Fox told me of the trap, I unsheathed my sword and cautiously searched around the area.

* * *

Minutes have passed, and I just sat there, crying. So far, Link hadn't come, but I knew that he will despite that this was all a trap. Yet…at the same time…I wanted him to rescue me…rescue me from this hellhole, the torture, the pain...I just wanted this nightmare to end. I couldn't take it anymore.

When a few more minutes have passed, I heard the cell door open, and I froze. Ganondorf and Ghirahim were back.

"While we wait…" Ganondorf said, "We'll just have some fun with the bird, right Ghirahim?"

Ghirahim just giggled. "Of course, my lovely."

Suddenly, I was grabbed by the feathers on my head and I was thrown to a wall. I heard my bones crack when I made contact with the wall. I had the urge to cough up blood, but I couldn't due to my muzzled beak. I began to choke on the blood in my throat. My captors noticed this and they laughed.

"Do you want us to get that rope off your beak?" Ganondorf asked. I nodded vehemently.

He quickly undid the rope, and I coughed up the blood. "You're done?" He asked. I nodded, and he retied the rope around my beak again. The blindfold was undone, and I was then thrown on the ground and I was pounded down with punches. One punch hit my eye, causing a black eye. I couldn't help but scream through my muzzled beak as they continue to beat me, blood flowing down my face.

"Look at you…" Ganondorf said, grabbing my face and then forcing me to look at his, "You think you're the best fighter who is not scared of anything, and here you are crying and screaming like a baby! Imagine if your friends saw you like this; no wonder Link beaten you in the last tournament; you're just a weakling with an ego!" Those words hurt like a thousand knives stabbing me at the same time. I let out a muffled sob.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE! HE'S NOT WEAK!" Those words were not spoken by Ghirahim or Ganondorf. They turned to see a familiar figure…Link! He had his sword in his hand, and he looked pissed off from seeing me in a horrible condition.

"Let him go. NOW." He growled, preparing to fight. I stared at him with one eye wide. Ganondorf threw me to the ground and he pulled out his sword. "So...you have finally come. You should've seen your little friend screaming and crying like the wuss he is."

"He's NOT a wuss!" Link cried at he lunged toward him, and him, Ganondorf, and Ghirahim began to fight. I watched, struggling to get myself free. Link dodged Ganondorf and Ghirahim's attacks easily, but I knew that something wasn't right; they would be trying their hardest to beat him.

That's when I saw something. Ghirahim seemed to have a knife hidden in his cloak, and when both of my captors were down, they stayed down, making me suspicious. There was no way that they are beaten easily.

Link sheathed his sword and he ran to me, looking over my injuries. "My God…" He muttered. He then began to untie the rope binding my wrists, which were soaked with blood. "I can't believe they did this to you…" He said, and I could tell by his voice that he was angry.

I looked behind him, and I saw Ghirahim and Ganondorf getting up, with Ghirahim getting out the knife that was hidden and approached Link. My good eye was wide, and I tried to warn Link to look behind him.

"LRRMK! LMMK MMMT!" I cried, but it was too late; Ghirahim stabbed him in the back, and Link fell. My two captors laughed.

"That was too easy of a kill…good job, Ghirahim." Ganondorf said. The two then turned their attention to me.

"Too bad that he won't see you get beaten to death, birdy…" Ghirahim giggled and he grabbed my head feathers. However, before they even began beating me, Link suddenly got up and stabbed them from behind. When they fell to the ground, Link stabbed them multiple times in the back, killing them.

* * *

I looked down at the bloody bodies, making sure that they were dead. They weren't moving; that was a good sign.

I then turned my attention to Falco, and I ran toward him and cut his wrists free. His condition was awful; one of his eyes was swollen shut, most of his feathers were plucked out, and there was blood all over his body. I growled in anger, but at the same time, my heart was heavy with guilt.

Falco tried to untie the rope keeping his beak shut, but he was shaking. "Here, I'll help you." I said with a soft voice. I quickly undid the rope, and Falco began to cough up blood. My anger and guilt grew more upon seeing this.

"Falco…I'm so sorry that I let this happen…" I said. Falco just stared at me, and, to my shock, he hugged me and cried in my chest. This was unusual of him…whenever I helped him, he usually "thanked" me in a sarcastic tone or just brushed it off, saying something like "I guess I should be thankful." This time, however, he's crying in my arms, thanking me countless times and holding me tight like I was going to leave him.

_Those bastards must've tortured him for so long… _I thought. I held him back, whispering comforting words to him. "Shh...It's OK. You're safe now. It's OK…"

He then began to cough up more blood. I knew that Falco should be given medical attention immediately.

"We should get you back in the castle…"

Falco just stared at me with his teary eyes and nodded. When he got up, he was wobbly and nearly fell to the ground. I quickly caught him when this happened.

"Here, I'll carry you back." I picked him up and held him bridal style, and surprisingly, he didn't complain.

Climbing out of the trap door, I ran back to the castle with Falco in my arms.


	5. Chapter 5

I brought Falco to the infirmary, and he recovered from there. He seemed to be fine: his wrists were healing, leaving a few scars on them, his feathers were growing back, and almost all of the areas where he was beaten were healed. Besides a few broken ribs, he was back to normal…

Except for his personality. He hadn't been the same after the incident. He now had low self-esteem and he also had low confidence about himself. Whenever he screwed up, he began to beat himself up emotionally, saying that he's not good enough. He also hadn't been training lately; he's usually enthusiastic about it, but now…he just doesn't want to. He also began to grow more irritated and hateful: he even yelled at Nana and Popo, when normally he was like a father figure to them. All of us were worried about him...me especially. I wanted the old Falco back...but I don't know how to get him back.

I decided to talk about Falco's condition with Dr. Mario. I went to the infirmary, where he was putting some medicine in order.

"Hey Dr. Mario," I greeted.

The doctor stopped what he was doing and he looked at me and smiled. "Hello, Link. How-a are you today?"

"I just wanted to talk to you about Falco."

Dr. Mario perked up. "Ah, Falco…is-a something wrong with-a him?"

I nodded. "He's been acting strange after what happened a week ago. He's been angrier; he had low self-esteem and confidence and he no longer trains…"

Dr. Mario nodded to every word I said, and he wrote it down. Looking at his notes, he said, "Hmm…it seemed that he has post-traumatic stress disorder."

"Wait, what?"

"Post-traumatic stress disorder. His anger and the fact that he's no longer interested in training are signs that he has it. As for the self-esteem and confidence problem…you did say that his captors called him weak and a wuss, right?"

I nodded.

"Maybe during the torture, they began to emotionally beat him down when he's vulnerable…you know how someone is when they are close to breaking."

I nodded to everything he said. "I see now…thanks for helping, doctor…but what should I do to help him?"

"Some therapy...though talking to a loved one would help…he might not recover right away, but it could ease it."

I nodded and I shook his hand. "All right. Thanks doctor. I'll go talk to him."

I went out of the infirmary and went to find Falco's room. I managed to find it, and I rapped the door loudly.

"Hey Falco?" I called.

No answer.

I knocked on the door again. "Falco. It's me, Link. I want to talk to you…"

I then heard mumbling. I put my ear on the door, and I heard Falco's low voice.

"N-no…please…l-let me go…please…"

I opened the door, and I saw Falco tossing and turning in his bed. Obviously, he's having a nightmare. I ran to him and I tried to shake him awake.

"Falco," I said softly, "wake up. Wake up."

Falco's eyes shot open and he quickly sat up. Cold sweat was running down his face. He glanced around, then at me.

"Are you O—" Before I said another word, Falco hugged me, crying on my shoulder.

"L-Link!" He sobbed. This sight made my heart break. He was usually a tough guy who never showed his emotions, but here he was, crying on my shoulder.

I held him back and I whispered, "Hey, it's OK…it's only a nightmare."

He let me go and he wiped away his tears.

"Are you OK now?" I asked. Falco nodded.

"Wh—what do you want anyway…?"

I sat beside him on the bed. "I just wanted to talk to you…you know, after the incident, you've been acting strange."

Falco cringed when I said "incident", and he looked away. "Ya gonna make it worse when ya talk about it…"

That was a mistake I made there. "I'm sorry…I forgot that you're still traumatized."

"Look, if ya gonna say any more about it, then leave."

I shook my head. "I won't talk about it when you don't feel like it. I talked to the doctor about you…"

"Talkin' about me being weak and useless, huh?"

"No. Not like that. I'm concerned about you…we all are. Nana and Popo don't understand what was wrong with you, and I'm feeling guilty about what happened…"

I looked down, and I heard my voice breaking, "Falco…I'm so sorry that I let that happen to you…if I found out sooner…" I sighed.

Falco stared at me with worry. "It's not your fault, Link. I should've been stronger to fend for myself…I'm just weak…"

I grabbed him by the shoulders, which surprised him. "Falco, you're not weak, let alone useless. You're a great fighter. I watch you fight in the tournament, and I saw how powerful you are. The children even looked up to you, and they are motivated to fight to win. You're their idol, Falco. In fact, you impressed even me. Don't say stuff like that; you're more powerful than you think." I placed my hand on his face. "If you feel like you need to talk to someone about what happened, talk to me. I'll be here for you whenever you need someone."

Falco listened to all of this, and a smile began to form on his face. I mentally sighed in relief that he got the message.

He embraced me, crying. This time, however, he was crying tears of joy. "Th-thank you Link…you're a true friend..."

I held him back, and we held each other for a long time.

* * *

I got back to training and fighting after what Link had told me, my self-esteem and confidence growing back to normal. Every day I think of his words, and it motivated me to keep on going no matter what anyone told me. I still insult him, but this time it's in jest.

Although I was still traumatized by the incident, it somehow made me and Link closer without us noticing. He was there for me, and I learned thanks to him that I don't have to be all tough just to be strong. I pretty much became more mellow thanks to him.

Even though I'll never forget the torture, the pain, and the nightmare, I'll never forget my best friend's kindness and concern.

I'm no longer a caged bird, but I am now a free bird.

* * *

**Phew, what a story! Wait…for once, I finished a CHAPTERED story?! :O**

**So I hope you like it. Falco may be OOC, but hey, having his character change after a traumatizing incident is what I was aiming for.**

**Hope you enjoyed the story, and look forward to more Falco x Link friendship/fluff.**

**Comment/review please!**


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